From March 7 the cameras, from April 9 the ticket identification – “Closes the stadium if a torch or firecracker falls”!

The Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou and the Deputy Minister of Sports Yannis Vroutsis presented the new measures for the resumption of the presence of spectators and the sale of tickets at football matches, but also the taking of measures to prevent and deal with criminal behavior in the context of sports meetings.

“I was given the mandate to do the first update 2 months ago after a tragic event. They were unpalatable measures and a window of two months was given to ministers and groups to adapt“, noted the government representative, Pavlos Marinakisstarting the process.

Milestone dates

“At February 13 the stadiums are opening in a new environment, where there will be a new DEAB (permanent committee to deal with violence) that will impose draconian sanctions, with the most important sanction being the closing of the stadium for fans. If a firecracker, torch or dangerous object falls on the field, without a second thought the field is closed the following Sundaywhen that team is playing at home“, emphasized Mr. Vroutsis.

There is no subjective thinkingthe penalty is specific in each case and is provided for in the new law, he explained, adding that “we do not want any stadium to be closed, but if the provisions of the law are not respected, the games will be played without spectators».

“On March 6th, a second procedure begins which, if not followed, from March 7th, any stadium that has not installed cameras will not be opened to fans. We gave enough time. Echelons from all three ministries (Digital Policy, Citizen Protection and Sports) visited all 14 stadiums, saw their uniqueness, there was a joint discussion with the actors and there were also reports on the installation of cameras“, added the deputy minister.

On Tuesday, April 9, Mr. Vroutsis announced, the big institutional change, the identity, i.e. who will enter the stadiumwith Mr. Papastergiou specifying the implementation details.

Identity

“The identity solution comes with technology, by locking the ticket through our mobile phone“, explained the Minister of Digital Policy.

As Mr. Papastergiou said, the ticket purchase will continue to be done in the classic way, that is, from private or group platforms. However, the new innovation is that here the gov.wallet which are already used by 4 million Greeks. A condition for the purchase is that users are registered in the EMEP (national communication register).

The special emep.gov.gr platform will be posted and will be operational in a short time.

After purchasing the ticket, it will be entered into the wallet with the barcode and the Qrcodeeach fan will be able to enter the stadium.

It will be possible to buy a ticket for children under 15 years old. Minors over the age of 15 will be able to register at EMEP.

He also clarified that for non-Greek citizens the identification and the process will be done with the passportfor which there is a relevant provision.

He pointed out that there will be a camera above the stadium turnstiles to ensure the process, while there will also be “black list” for the people, who are not entitled to enter the stadiums.

Regarding season tickets, the issue is still under discussion. “Technically we can transfer them“, said Mr. Papastergiou, noting that they are waiting for the relevant response from the Super League.

As far as international matches are concerned, there will be an exception to the above rule as they are under the UEFA umbrella.